Open Enrollment Period Begins

Open enrollment begins this week. Wisconsin families have the option of enrolling their kids in any public school district, even if they live outside its boundaries.

School districts hope more students enroll there, as it brings more state resources.

Credit Christopher Sessums

For some districts open enrollment brings more revenue, while for others it draws resources out of the area.

Northland Pines right now is losing about 70 students, but has a net positive gain with around 85 coming in. District Administrator Mike Richie says they’ve been on the positive end of the equation since 2010, and he keeps a close eye on the numbers.

“When you have a positive number, it’s more meaningful for your district and it tells your community that people would like to come to your school.”

School size, course selection and athletics are all possible factors in choosing to enroll out. School districts get about seven thousand dollars of state funding for every student they enroll, so it makes a big impact.

Rhinelander Schools Superintendent Kelli Jacobi says her district works hard to keep as many students as possible.

“We normally will lose a few more than we get from other districts. The online virtual programs are a big draw, so we’ve been working hard to beef ours up to make sure we can provide what the others can.”

Other districts like Three Lakes are pretty much breaking even in terms of students coming in and going out. Parents have until April 30th to apply for their preferred school.